10 Songs That Made These Rockstars Go Mainstream

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The Songs That Started It All

There are two things about mainstream success – it’s not as easy as others make it sound AND it’s risky. Why the risk? You see, not everyone breaks into mainstream from the get-go (there are bands fortunate enough to achieve that with their debut single or album while others aren’t so lucky) and some musicians want to stay true to their roots, not lose their identity and change their sound even if that means never getting the recognition they truly deserve.

But, that’s for another list. For this one, we picked out 10 legendary songs which propelled the following rock acts to super-stardom. In some cases, it took one tune to secure their spot in the rock ‘n roll pantheon. And they’re most likely still enjoying the fruits of that success today.

Let’s check it out.

10. Aerosmith – “Sweet Emotion”

Although their first two albums earned double platinum (eponymous debut) and triple platinum (“Get Your Wings”) status, it wasn’t until “Toys in the Attic” was released when they broke into the mainstream especially with the single “Sweet Emotion.”

Ironically, Steven Tyler wrote this track out of his frustration with the band and Joe Perry’s wife. That pretty much explains Tyler’s ‘angry’ tone.

“Our first two albums were basically comprised of songs we’d been playing for years live in the clubs. With Toys, we started from scratch. Making this record, we learned to be recording artists and write songs on a deadline. In the process, we began to see just what Aerosmith could accomplish. With everyone throwing in ideas, Toys was our breakthrough.” – Joe Perry

It’s probably still up for debate but most people consider “Sweet Emotion” as Aerosmith’s signature song (we’re in total agreement with this by the way) even if others believe that title belongs to “Walk this Way” or “Dream On.”